


Home Can Be a Person

by allthehearteyes, caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Big surprise, Fluff, M/M, Pods, Romantic Gesture, scavenger hunt, sweet boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 03:26:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18241430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthehearteyes/pseuds/allthehearteyes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Michael wakes up alone in their bed... Where is Alex?!





	Home Can Be a Person

**Author's Note:**

> So caitlesshea and I did this thing...it's a very fluffy thing...it's our usual kind of collab thing. Lol. 💚💚
> 
> If you were looking for a sweet little scavenger hunt, trinkets from their past, silly interactions with friends/family, and a BIG surprise at the end, then you're in luck!!! You've come to the right place. 😍
> 
> We hope you enjoy it! ❤️
> 
> ~~find us on Tumblr (same usernames)~~

**MICHAEL**

He wakes up in an empty bed with no warm Alex next to him. It usually makes for a grumpy Michael when he doesn’t get morning snuggles, or even a wakeup/goodbye kiss from Alex. It’s not the end of the earth, but it kind of stings a little. Even though they’ve been great together, _better than_ , small things like this sometimes freak Michael out. To be fair, this hasn’t happened for well over a year, but the little day-to-day intimacies kind of mean the world to Michael. Alex teases that Michael’s a hopeless romantic. Truth is truth.

Michael shakes off his funk and takes a quick shower. They’ve been living at the cabin together for the last 9 months with Michael’s “alien-lab-trailer” parked in the back. It’s an easy setup and they’re both pretty happy with their domestic life.

Michael gets dressed and heads to the kitchen. There's no coffee. Anywhere. There’s literally no coffee in the cabinets or the pantry.

_How the hell did this happen?_

Michael’s grump starts to return. Usually when Alex leaves early he makes sure there’s hot coffee waiting for Michael when he gets up. It's like an unspoken ritual.

_It’s petty. It’s fine. Stop being dramatic._

Michael grabs his keys and looks for his black cowboy hat.

_What the everloving fuck?!_

Last night they took Alex’s truck, but even if he left the hat in the cab Alex would have brought it in before leaving.

Michael can start to feel himself getting upset. All the small things he’s become accustomed to, the tiny gestures that provide comfort and consistency, the simple acts that denote care and provide comfort, are all off or nonexistent today. It doesn’t feel good at all. These small things are how they share their life together and part of how they express what they mean to one another. These daily things that mean nothing and _everything_.

All of Michael’s insecurities rise to the surface. The idea of not being good enough, of being unlovable, unworthy, flood into his head. Thoughts that he’ll ruin anything good in his life or that Alex will wake up to realize Michael doesn’t offer anything of value in their relationship plays on a loop in his mind.

They’ve talked about it many times, and Alex has reassured Michael of his worth, his sense of honor, and his integrity. He has insisted that Michael’s generous and protective nature is endearing and impressive. Alex has told Michael his sexy mind, as well as his smokin hot bod, are a once-in-a-lifetime combination. Rare, unique, precious. Plus Michael's easy nature and sense of humor can’t be beat.

Alex has said that he too feels lacking. Sometimes concerned he won’t be the type of partner Michael deserves, but that he trusts Michael with his whole heart. That Alex respects him, admires him, and if Michael chooses him, there must be good stuff worth loving (even if he doesn’t always believe it about himself). They are both working on it. Michael _knows_ that, and feels stupid for getting all bent out of shape over such minor lapses.

He’s pissed at himself for even letting that stuff get to him at all. He’s been doing so much better with feeling confident in himself and in their relationship. This feels like it’s a setback.

_Fuck. Whatever. Get a grip! It doesn’t mean anything._

Michael stomps toward his truck, gets in and slams the door. As he tries to angrily jam the key in the ignition he notices a note taped to his dash. He picks it up. It reads:

**Morning Guerin,**

**How about an adventure for my alien explorer. Let’s see if that big beautiful brain of yours can handle a little action.**

**This is a game. At each stop there will be a clue, that clue will lead you to the next location. Can the brilliant mind of Michael Guerin solve the puzzle and claim his prize?**

**I sure hope so!**

**Head to the Crashdown for breakfast burritos, a coffee, and your first clue.**

**X,**  
**A**

Michael just stares at the note blinking. Huh.

_I guess I got all spun up for nothing._

A slow smile spreads across his lips. His bad mood all but forgotten. Michael’s intrigued, and touched, and excited to see what lies ahead. Alex doesn’t often make big gestures so it means a lot that he planned this game of fun for him. He starts the truck and heads toward the first spot.

Michael walks into the Crashdown and looks around for a minute. Mr. Ortecha gives a small smile and nods toward the far back booth.

“There’s a reserved table for you in the back.”

“What?” Michael raises one eyebrow.

“I don’t know, I did what mija asked me to do to help her friend.” Mr. Ortecha walks away as Michael sits at his “ _Reserved_ ” booth. There’s a travel mug of coffee and a couple of breakfast burritos waiting for him at the table. He sits down and starts eating.

_Mmmmmm. These are the my all time fave._

He’s enjoying his breakfast when Liz comes up to him wearing the requisite waitress dress, and a green plastic visor with alien-antenna attached to it. Michael can’t help but chuckle.

“Liz, what are you doing?”

“What? You don’t like my outfit, Michael?” She laughs. “Alex asked me to briefly reprise my role here so I could give this to you.” She takes off the visor and hands it to him. “Wanna keep the antennae? I think it might be a good look for you?” Michael snort-laughs.

“Nah. I think I’ll just take the visor. Do you have any idea of what he’s up to with all this?”

Liz gives a coy smile, kisses Michael on his cheek, and walks off.

_Soooo, not going to get any help then, huh? Great. Fuck it. I like puzzles. I got this._

As he finishes his breakfast he considers where the visor is meant to take him. He thinks he’s come up with the right place. Liz refills his coffee mug as he heads out.

“Think you’ve figured it out?”

“Yeah, I think I do. I mean, I _did_ score the highest on all the AP exams in high school, and crush _everyone_ else in the honors math and science classes.” He gives a half-hearted smile-smirk.

“Why ya gotta rub it in, Michael?” Liz smiles back and nudges him out of the restaurant. He hollers a thank you to Liz and her dad before he heads to his truck.

Michael smiles to himself as pulls up to the UFO Museum. The place of their first kiss. He could never forget the intensity of that perfect moment.

He walks into to the lobby to see Kyle Valenti standing there looking embarrassed as hell. He’s wearing a T-shirt that says, “I kissed an alien and all I got was this T-shirt” and a hat that reads, “I kissed an alien and I liked it.” Michael can’t help but snort.

“Why are you wearing all that stuff?”

“Man, I don’t know.” Kyle’s tone is utterly confused and his facial expression is priceless. “Alex said it was my penance for being such a dick in high school. If he’s gonna let me off the hook for being a massive asshole, and all I have to do is dress like a lunatic tourist and give you these, then I’ll take it. Here.” Kyle hands Michael six, square shaped envelopes.

Michael opens them up and finds guitar strings of varying sizes (each one designed to create a different musical note). The very edges of Michael’s eyes begin to burn a little.

_Alex knows music calms the chaos...even if I can’t play._

Michael clears his throat.

“Thanks, man.”

“No problem. Now I can get out of this dumb outfit.”

Feeling playful and sentimental, Michael blows a kiss to Kyle. “Now your shirt and hat are mostly true.” Kyle laughs.

“I mean, that’s a pretty weak kiss Guerin. I feel bad for Alex if that’s all you’ve got,” Kyle snarks.

“You want me to show how hot this alien can kiss?” He steps forward and Kyle retreats.

“No way man! Are you crazy?! Alex would murder the both of us and no one would ever find our bodies.” Kyle makes a fake-terrified face and looks around with a silly-nervous glance. He leans in and teasingly whispers, “I believe you, ok? You’re the best kisser on this and any other planet.”

“Just so you know what’s what, Valenti,” Michael grins as he heads off to his next location.

Michael pulls up to the far side of the high school bleachers. It’s where Alex first found Michael playing guitar when they were teenagers. He sees Isobel sitting on one of the metal bleachers with headphones in and bobbing her head to some music...and wearing _his_ black cowboy hat. She sees him and pulls out her ear buds.

“Took you long enough! I don’t know how you wear this damn thing all the time. It’s hot as hell.”

“Nice to see you too, Iz. Did you get your girl-sweat all in my hat?” Isobel shrugs.

“Maybe a little. It’s Alex’s fault. He insisted I wear it. Why exactly _am_ I wearing it?”

“No clue. It’s some sort of a scavenger hunt Alex devised.”

“Awwwww, that’s _so_ sweet!” Isobel coos in a happy-saccharine voice. Michael rolls his eyes but grins. Iz hands over the hat and Michael heads back to his truck. It takes him a minute to figure out his next stop, once he’s got it he starts the engine and heads off.

Michael strolls into the Wild Pony and makes a beeline for Maria.

“Hey there, Guerin. What brings you to this fine establishment today?” she asks in an innocent tone. Michael snorts.

“You know good and damn well why I’m here. What’s he left for me?”

“Why, what ever are you talking about?” Maria leans over the bar toward him and he sees it. Alex’s handcuff necklace from high school is around her neck. He can’t help the lopsided smile that quirks his lips.

“ _Shiiiiiit_. That man’s got you but good, Guerin. If just the sight of his old necklace can put that look on your face, I can imagine all the other things he does to make you melt. Sheesh.” She takes off the necklace and gives it to him, fanning her face with her other hand. They both laugh.

“You know I’m happy for you both. I hope someday someone is as sunk for me as you two are for each other.”

“Ya know, Valenti isn’t seeing anyone.” Maria laughs and throws a hand full of bar nuts at Michael’s retreating back.

“Never say never.” He yells over his shoulder as he heads to his next destination.

Michael strolls into the police station and heads right for Max’s desk. He sits on the edge and looks down at Max trying to finish some paperwork. Max leans back in his chair, sighs, and looks at Michael.

“You know, I _do_ actually have work to do around here. This badge is real and I’m not just here to hand over random items from your boyfriend.” Michael’s face becomes stoic, voice serious.

“Max, you don’t have to bullshit me. I’m not going to judge you, man. You can trust me. This is a safe place. You can tell me the truth. The only reason you became a cop is so you can wear that tight uniform, isn’t it? You think it makes you look hot and your butt look sexy.” Michael takes a big meaningful sigh. “It’s okay, Max. You have a uniform fetish. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Max smacks Michael's shoulder, and they both chuckle.

“Ya got me there, numbnuts. It has nothing to do with serving or protecting, or general law and order, just snug fitting pants and cool boots. The jig is up. Don’t tell the bosses, ok?” Max shakes his head and laughs. “So out of curiosity, what was the item that brought you to the police station?” Michael holds out his hand and shows Max the handcuff necklace.

“Dude! Egh! I don’t want to know what you all get up to. Anyway, here.” Max hands over a well worn composition notebook. It looks like the one Alex had in high school. Alex wrote songs and poetry in it, but Michael has no idea where the notebook is supposed to take him.

He thanks Max and heads out to his truck. He sits in the driver’s seat and flips through the notebook. He reads a lot of the poetry and most of the songs, but he can’t seem to connect the words to a specific place. He thinks on it.

_Come on, Guerin._

Michael opens up the inside front cover. In blue ink, “Alex Manes” is written all over, in various fonts, styles and sizes. He stares at it for long moments, admiring Alex’s creativity. Michael smiles to himself.

He flips to the inside back cover expecting to see more of the same, but what he sees stuns him. Written in blue ink, in all the same styles, fonts, and sizes is the name “Michael Guerin”. It’s written all over and in different directions. It’s everywhere, Michael’s name. He had no idea this was here.

_Alex..._

It’s overwhelming for Michael to see that Alex always saw them as connected in some way. His eyes brim with tears.

_This man…_

Michael still has no clue where he’s supposed to go next. He’s touched that Alex planned this day, gave him this adventure and these gifts that represent their history, but he can’t figure out the next location. He’s scans the back page one last time when he sees a series of numbers and a couple of letters written in green ink. He has to turn the notebook 90 degrees to read it properly. What he sees takes his breath away.

Simple longitude and latitude coordinates to a local turquoise mine. Michael’s heart starts to pound. To the _only_ mine that matters, the one that means the world to him, and Alex knows it.

Michael tears out of the parking lot and heads toward the coordinates. He doesn’t know what to think of all this. He’s both anxious and excited. He pulls up next to Alex’s truck and heads inside the cave. He heads right for the pods, he could find them blindfolded, but today there are tiny tea lights on the sandy earth lighting the way, small flames flickering along the path.

Michael is blown away and astounded. He truly has no idea what’s happening. He comes to the edge of the opening, the pods glowing and the small tea lights set around the perimeter of the stone room. Right in the middle is Alex, sitting in a folding chair and holding a guitar. There’s another chair next to him with an unstrung guitar leaned against it.

Alex looks at him, and Michael feels overcome with emotion. This man created for him an amazing adventure and ended the day in this deeply cherished place.

Michael feels in his back pocket for the packets of new strings. New strings for a new guitar...to play new music together. Michael knows Alex has been researching various modifications of how to play guitar when a hand has restricted range of motion.

_So we can play together again… So damn sweet..._

“Well hello, love. I’m glad you found me.” Alex gives a soft smile and his warm brown eyes twinkle in the light.

“What have you done?” Michael knows his voice is filled with reverence, but he’s never had a special day/moment created for him before. The whole thing feels almost ethereal, and he’s filled with a deep sense of warmth…

 

**ALEX**

Alex’s heart thunders in his chest as he gazes at the incredible man before him. Despite the obvious wonder on his face, Michael looks like every fevered fantasy Alex has ever had. Those unruly curls, that cowboy swagger, the overall wildness about him...completely irresistible. But Michael’s beauty runs _deep_. His strength of character, his protective nature, and his wry sense of humor all outshine his exquisite physical features.

_I never stood a chance of not falling for him._

“You didn’t like your trip down memory lane?” Alex asks Michael with a smirk on his face.

“I loved it.” Michael says as he sits down in the other chair.

“What’s all this?” Michael points to the guitar and holds up the strings.

“String it.”

Alex smiles as Michael strings the guitar. It’s wider than a normal one and the strings are spaced farther apart. Michael seems to notice as tears well in his eyes.

“I wanted you to be able to play again…” Alex whispers to him.

“I don’t need this as long as I have you.”

“I know. But I figured with the wider spacing you can use your fingers and your powers to move the strings.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Alex says in the same voice he used when he gave Michael his brother’s guitar all those years ago. The sentiment isn’t lost on either of them. This time when Alex leans in to kiss him, though, Michael kisses him back.

Alex pulls back and smiles. “You’re not the only one who needs help quieting the chaos.”

“Alex...I…”

“No. Let me finish. When we first met I was a mess. With everything happening at home and everything happening at school, it felt like I didn’t have a way out. Then we started talking, and you were all bright eyed and nervous, with such an outlook on life that it made me jealous. You had all this stuff going on and you didn’t let it bother you. And all I wanted was to be more like you in that regard.”

Alex grabs Michael’s hand just to have something to anchor him here.

“We had such beautiful moments, some of the best of my life. Then it all went to shit. And I couldn’t protect you.”

“Alex no…”

“Shh.” He quiets Michael with a kiss.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to protect you. From the cold, from my father, from the government. I think I’ve managed to a few times.” He gives a wry smile. “Because all you’ve ever done for me, is protect me, and love me, unconditionally, since we met. And I didn’t know I even needed that until I was gone. And I’m so, so sorry that I left. That I took that time away from us.”

Alex releases a breath. He doesn’t do this...big declarations of love, with words. He’s more into actions and gestures. The words are usually left to Michael, but he has to say the words Michael deserves to hear. Alex will be brave for him, for _them_.

“So I wanted today to be about everything that brought us to this moment. All the good before everything went bad. I wanted to take you through the moments where I fell a little more in love with you. And I wanted to come here, to your pods, to bring this moment full circle.”

Alex gets up from the chair and grabs Michael’s hand and walks in front of Michael’s pod.

“I wanted to bring you to your first memory of home, so I could ask you to be my home, forever.”

Alex gently lowers himself to one knee. He can tell the moment Michael realizes what he’s about to do because he gasps. Alex pulls a small box out of his pocket and pulls out the ring he had made for Michael. A simple silver band with an inscription inside.

“Michael Guerin. Will you marry me?”

Alex looks up into those beautiful honey golden eyes he’s loved for over a decade and sees them well with tears.

“Yes. God Alex, yes.” Michael says as he hauls Alex up and slams their lips together.

They finally break apart and they’re both laughing through their tears.

“You don’t need to ask me to be your home Alex. You’ve been mine since we were seventeen.” Michael says and kisses him again.

“I love you.” Alex says and leans his forehead against Michael.

“I love you too.” Michael says as he holds out his right hand and Alex slips the ring onto his right ring finger. Both of them foregoing his left hand entirely.

“Perfect fit.” Alex says a little awed.

“We always were.” Michael says back and kisses him again.

Alex closes his eyes and holds Michael close. He thinks about the words inscribed in the ring. The words that reflect who they are together, the truth of this moment, and the beauty of their future. It simply reads: _my home._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read.


End file.
